SATB launches framework addressing TB and mental health intersection

Survivors Against TB (SATB) has launched a framework titled “Addressing The Twin Epidemics,” focusing on the intersection of tuberculosis (TB) and mental health. According to the press release, the framework was co-developed with TB-affected individuals, multidisciplinary experts, clinicians, and health workers. It aims to integrate mental health support into TB care and promote a holistic approach to treatment in India and globally.

The framework highlights the challenges faced by TB-affected individuals, including emotional isolation, stigma, and untreated mental health conditions. It combines lived experiences with clinical and health system expertise to propose strategies for providing comprehensive care.

Recognising mental health support as essential to TB treatment, the framework emphasises psychological evaluations as part of routine TB care. It provides practical guidelines for equipping healthcare providers with the training needed to address emotional and mental health needs.

“The framework is a starting point for advocacy to institutionalise mental health interventions in national TB programmes globally, creating a sustainable, long-term impact. This framework is a game-changer,” said Chapal Mehra, Public Health Expert and Convenor of SATB.

Akshata Acharya, an MDR TB survivor and author, shared her perspective, “For too long, many like us have struggled with mental health issues in TB care. It has been the missing piece in TB care. By addressing this gap, we are not only improving treatment outcomes but also ensuring that individuals can reclaim their dignity and hope.”

TB survivor and SATB Fellow Deepti Chavan spoke about her personal experience, “As someone who lived with MDR-TB for six years, I know firsthand the toll it takes on mental health. This framework acknowledges that TB care must go beyond medicines—it’s about empathy, understanding, and support. I wish I had something like this when I was battling TB.”

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of MSSRF and author of the framework’s foreword, added, “With increasing global health complexities, we need approaches that address the bidirectional relationships between diseases and mental health. This framework serves as a start in that direction and demonstrates how community knowledge, collaboration, innovation, and empathy can converge to address stigma, and mental health to improve outcomes, and provide dignified care to those most in need.”

SATB has invited policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders to adopt and implement the framework. According to the press release, the goal is to change the narrative of TB care by making mental health a priority in treatment, ensuring that no individual faces the disease alone.